Systems and methods for forming pre-packaged brewing material

ABSTRACT

A compact and lightweight personal pod making system is provided. The pod making system has a base for receiving a pod packaging material and a sealing tool pivotably connected to the base. The system can be used at home, in the office and even outdoors. A pod package assembly that can be used in conjunction with the personal pod making system is also provided. The pod package assembly can include a cup-like holder that is hingedly connected to a cover so that it is relatively easy for users to align the cover when sealing the pod.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e)of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/594,972 filed on May 23, 2005 andentitled FILTER MACHINE, the entirety of which is incorporated herein byreference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention generally relates to systems and methods for formingpre-package brewing material such as coffee or tea pods, and inparticular, relates to a lightweight and compact system for individualpersonal use in making coffee and/or tea pods.

2. Description of the Related Art

Beverage pods generally refer to coffee or tea that is pre-packaged andsealed inside a filter material. The pods are typically configured to beplaced in a specially designed brewing machine in which hot water isfiltered through the pod to make the beverage. In recent years,pod-based brewing systems have gained popularity as they are convenientto use and require very little cleaning up. Coffee pods, for example,typically contain a pre-measured amount of coffee sealed inside adisc-shaped package formed by filter papers and can be convenientlyremoved and disposed of when the brewing is finished.

However, one drawback associated with using a pod-based brewing systemis that the choice of coffee in pod form is usually limited to theselections provided by pod manufacturers. Consequently, coffee drinkersare generally limited to the types of coffee sold in pod form that areavailable in the stores. Additionally, coffee connoisseurs often prefergrinding the coffee right before it is brewed in order to preserve itsflavor. Pre-packaged coffee pods sold in the stores could be viewed asnot as fresh by some coffee drinkers who prefer freshly ground coffee.

In view of the foregoing, it will be appreciated that there is a needfor individual consumers to have more choices in the types of coffee orother beverage that can be made using pod-based brewing systems. To thisend, there is a particular need for a device and method that would allowindividuals to easily and conveniently form custom pods containingbrewing material of their choice.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

As used herein, the term “pod” is a broad term and shall have itsordinary meaning and shall include, but not be limited to, a packageformed of a water permeable material and containing an amount of groundcoffee or other beverage therein.

The preferred embodiments of the personal pod making system have severalfeatures, no single one of which is solely responsible for theirdesirable attributes. Without limiting the scope of this invention, itsmore prominent features will now be discussed briefly. However, not allof the following features are necessary to achieve the advantages of thesystem. Therefore, none of the following features should be viewed aslimiting. After considering this discussion, and particularly afterreading the section entitled “Detailed Description of the PreferredEmbodiments,” one will understand how the features of the preferredembodiments provide advantages over prior art systems.

One such advantage is the lightweight and portability of the system. Thesystem is designed for personal use and is simple to operate andmaintain. Another advantage is the incorporation of a novel pod packageassembly that facilitates alignment and sealing of the pod whichrequires substantially less user adjustment and manipulation as comparedto conventional pod package material.

In one aspect, the invention provides a compact and lightweight podmaking system. The system comprises a base and a sealing tool that ispivotably coupled to the base. The base has a receptacle that is adaptedto receive at least a portion of a pod packaging material, wherein thepod packaging material has a lower portion and an upper portion. Thesealing tool has a heat sealing surface that is adapted to contact theupper portion of the pod packaging material and apply heat thereto whenthe lower portion of the pod packaging material is positioned in thereceptacle of the base and when the sealing tool is pivoted toward thebase. Preferably, the receptacle has an inner diameter of between about30 mm to 80 mm, and a depth of between about 1 mm to 15 mm. In oneimplementation, the heat sealing surface is substantially circular andhas a diameter of about 75 mm. In some implementations, the systemfurther includes a receptacle size adjuster which is configured toreduce the diameter of the receptacle. The system can be powered bybattery or an external power source. In one embodiment, the base of thesystem comprises a support tray having one or more receptacles. Inanother embodiment, the pod making system has an alignment systemadapted to facilitate alignment of the receptacles with the sealingtool. Preferably, the pod making system is portable and weighs less than25 pounds, in some implementations preferably less than 15 pounds.

In another aspect, the preferred embodiments of the present inventionprovide a packaging material for forming beverage pods. The packagingmaterial comprises a receptacle having a base and a sidewall extendingupwardly from the base, wherein the receptacle has an upper openingdefined by an upper portion of the sidewall. The packaging materialfurther comprises a cover that is hingedly attached to the receptacle,wherein the cover is configured to cover the upper opening of thereceptacle. Preferably, the receptacle and the cover are made of waterpermeable material.

In yet another aspect, the preferred embodiments of the presentinvention provide a pod package assembly. The assembly comprises a lowerportion, which is configured to receive and hold an amount of groundcoffee, and an upper portion which is coupled to the lower portion in amanner such that the upper portion is pivotable relative to the lowerportion. Preferably, the upper portion is adapted to enclose the groundcoffee in the lower portion. In one embodiment, the lower portion iscup-shaped. In another embodiment, the lower portion has an annular rimwhich is adapted to form a seal with the upper portion. Preferably, thelower portion has a diameter of between about 30 mm to 80 mm.

In yet another aspect, the preferred embodiments of the presentinvention provide a method of manufacturing a package assembly forforming beverage pods. The method includes the steps of providing alightweight and water permeable material and processing the material toform two substantially circular portions that are hingedly connected toeach other, wherein one of the portions is configured to receive andhold a brewable material such as ground coffee. In one embodiment,processing the material comprises die cutting the material. In anotherembodiment, the method further comprises applying a heat activatedadhesive to the periphery of the circular portions. In yet anotherembodiment, processing the material comprises forming two separatecircular portions and connecting the two portions together using anadhesive.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of a lightweight and portablepersonal coffee pod making system of one preferred embodiment thepresent invention;

FIGS. 2A-2C illustrate embodiments of a pod packaging assembly that canbe used in conjunction with the system of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 illustrates the manner in which a coffee pod can be formed usingthe system of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is a schematic illustration of another embodiment of the podmaking system of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

One embodiment of a lightweight and portable personal pod making system100 having features and advantages in accordance with the presentinvention is illustrated in FIG. 1. While the embodiment describes asystem designed for making pods containing ground coffee, it will beappreciated that the concept can be applied to forming other types ofpre-packaged brewing material such as tea or other beverage pods.

As shown in FIG. 1, the personal pod making system 100 generallycomprises a base 102 for supporting a pod package material and a sealingtool 104 that is pivotably coupled to the base 102. In one embodiment,the base 102 has a receptacle 106 configured to receive a sealable podpackaging material such as conventional disc-shaped filter papers usedfor forming coffee pods. In one implementation, the receptacle 106 has acircular cross-section with an inner diameter of between about 30 mm to80 mm and a depth of between about 1 mm to 15 mm. However, it will beunderstood that the inner diameter and depth of the receptacle 106 canvary to correspond to the dimensions of various filter papers or thelike that are suitable for use as pod packaging material. It will alsobe understood that the receptacle 106 can also be designed with variousother cross-sectional shapes such as square, triangular, or oval. Aswill be described in greater detail below, the receptacle 106 ispreferably configured so that a disc-shaped pod package material such asfilter paper can be seated snugly in the receptacle with the rimportions of the pod package material extending outwardly from thereceptacle and disposed around the periphery of the receptacle.

In certain preferred embodiments, the system 100 further includes areceptacle size adjuster 108, preferably in the form of an annular ringas shown in FIG. 1. The receptacle size adjuster 108 is removable andcan be placed in the receptacle to adjust the inner diameter of thereceptacle so as to accommodate for pod packaging materials of varioussizes. The receptacle size adjuster 108 can be made of various materialsincluding silicone, rubber, and/or metal. In one embodiment, thereceptacle size adjuster 108 has a width of about 50 mm is configured toreduce the diameter of the receptacle 106 from 80 mm to about 30 mm.

As also illustrated in the system 100 shown in FIG. 1, the sealing tool104 has a generally annular sealing surface 110 and a handle 112extending therefrom. The handle 112 is designed to facilitate the userin pivoting the sealing tool 104 relative to the base 102 and pressingthe heated sealing surface 110 against the pod package material to sealthe pod. In one embodiment, the sealing surface 110 is arranged in acircular pattern and has a diameter of about 75 mm. Heating elements andthe like can be positioned under the sealing surface 110 to provide asource of heat. As will be described in greater detail below, inoperation, the sealing tool 104 can be manually or automaticallyextended downwardly so that the sealing surface 110 engages with thebase 102 in a manner such that the heated sealing surface 110 pressesagainst the periphery or annular rim of a pod packaging material andseal the pod in a manner to be described in greater detail below. In oneembodiment, the sealing tool 104 can be electrically heated to atemperature ranging between about 130° F. to 250° F. In a preferredembodiment, the personal pod making system 100 is generally made of alightweight material such as plastics so that it is portable and weighsless than about 25 lbs, preferably less than 20 lbs, preferably lessthan 15 lbs, more preferably less than 10 lbs. The system 100 can bepowered by an external source via an electrical plug 114 or by batteriesinstalled in the system.

FIGS. 2A-2C illustrate preferred embodiments of a novel pod packageassembly 200 that can be used in conjunction with the pod making system100 of FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 2A, the pod package assembly 200comprises a cup-shaped holder 202 configured to receive a measuredamount of ground coffee and a hinged cover 204 configured to enclose theground coffee in the holder 202. Preferably, the holder 202 has acircular base 206 and a substantially vertical sidewall 208 extendingupwardly from the base 206 to define an upper opening 210. In oneembodiment, the holder 202 has an inner diameter 203 of between about 30mm to 80 mm and the sidewall 208 of the holder has a height 216 of about1 mm to 15 mm. The holder 202 further comprises an annular rim 212extending from the upper opening 210. In one embodiment, the annular rim212 has a width 213 of between about 2 mm to 6 mm. The hinged cover 204is coupled to the annular rim 212 and preferably has a diameter ofbetween 60 mm to 80 mm. Preferably, the holder 202 and the hinged cover204 are pivotably connected at a joint area 214. In one embodiment, thejoint area 214 is disposed along a portion of the annular rim 212 of theholder. Preferably, the joint area 214 comprises about 5 percent of thecircumference of the cover, more preferably about 10 percent, morepreferably about 15 percent, more preferably about 25 percent.

In a preferred embodiment, the holder 202 and the cover 204 of the podpackage assembly 200 are made of a water permeable material such asfilter paper. In certain preferred implementations, the sidewall 208 ofthe holder 202 has one or more folds therein or is corrugated so as tolend strength and rigidity to the structure of the holder 202. However,it will be appreciated that the sidewall could also have a substantiallysmooth surface. Preferably, a heat activated adhesive is applied to theperiphery of cover 204 and/or the annular rim 212 of the holder so thatthe periphery of the cover can be joined with the annular rim of theholder to form a seal between the cover and the holder.

The pod package assembly 200 having the hinged cover 204 as describedabove advantageously facilitates alignment of the cover 204 to theholder 206. Instead of trying to carefully position the cover so thatthe periphery of the cover overlaps the annular rim, a user simply hasto flip the cover over as the periphery of the cover would beautomatically aligned with the annular rim of the holder. In oneembodiment, the holder 202 is pre-attached to the cover 204 at the jointarea 214 using an adhesive or bonding agent. Alternatively, as shown inFIG. 2B, the holder 202 b and the cover 204 b can be integrally formed.In one embodiment, the pod package assembly 200 can comprise a one-piecematerial such as filter paper that is die cut into the hingedconfiguration as shown in FIG. 2B. In yet another embodiment, the podpackage assembly 200 comprises two circular portions 202 c, 204 chingedly connected together as shown in FIG. 2C. Preferably, the firstportion 202 c comprises a circular piece of filter paper 202 c which iscapable of serving as a supporting surface for ground coffee.Preferably, the second portion 204 c comprises a circular piece offilter paper 204 c which is capable of serving as a cover that can beused to enclose the coffee. Preferably, the diameter of the firstportion 202 c is smaller than the diameter of the second portion 204 c.While the preferred embodiments illustrate the pod package assembly ascomprising a holder that is hingedly connected to a cover, various otherforms of pod package assemblies including those in which the holder andthe cover are not connected are also contemplated to be within the scopeof the invention.

FIG. 3 schematically illustrates the manner the pod making system 100 ofFIG. 1 can be used to form coffee or tea pods. As shown in FIG. 3, a podpackage assembly 200 described above in FIG. 2A is placed in thereceptacle of the pod making system 100 in a manner such that thecup-shaped holder 202 is seated in the receptacle and the annular rim212 is disposed adjacent an upper surface 302 of the base 102. An amountof ground coffee 304 or other brewable beverage is placed in the holder202. Subsequently, the cover 204 can be simply flipped over to cover theupper opening 210 of the holder 202. Since the cover 204 is hingedlyconnected to the holder 202, the periphery 205 of the cover 204 willalign with the annular rim 212 of the holder 202 without requiring muchuser manipulation. The sealing tool 104 is then pivoted toward the base102 so that the heating surface 110 of the sealing tool 104 contacts thepod cover 204. When the heated sealing surface contacts the pod coverwhich can be made of a sealable filter paper, the heat activates theadhesive on the annular rim of the cup-shaped holder 202 and/or theperiphery 205 of the cover 204 to bond the cover to the holder so as toseal the pod. Additionally, while being pressed down on the base, forceexerted on the sealing tool 104 also serves to compress the groundcoffee inside the pod package assembly.

FIG. 4 shows another embodiment of the pod making system 400, whichgenerally includes a compact and lightweight sealing assembly 402 and areceptacle 404 configured to receive sealable packaging material such asfilter papers designed for forming pods. In one embodiment, the. sealingassembly 402 comprises a base 406 and a heat sealer 408 pivotablycoupled thereto. Preferably, the base 406 has a generally flat lowersurface 410 configured to rest against a support surface such as a tabletop and a slotted upper surface 412 configured to slidably engage withthe support tray 404 in a manner to be described in greater detailbelow. As also shown in FIG. 4, the heat sealer 408 has a plurality ofheating elements 414. In a preferred embodiment, the heating elements414 are arranged in a circular pattern and are dimensioned to generallycorrespond to the diameter of the packaging material. As will bedescribed in greater detail below, each heat seal element 414 isconfigured to contact the periphery of a particular sized circularsealable packaging material to bond the material at selected areas alongthe periphery. The circular heat seal elements 114 are adapted to bondcircular pod package materials such as filter papers having diameters of30 mm and 80 mm. The sealing assembly 402 can be powered by an externalpower source or can be powered by internal batteries.

As also illustrated in FIG. 4, the support tray 404 generally comprisesa handle 416, a rectangular body 418 and a plurality of receptacles 420formed therein. Preferably, the support tray 404 is configured toslidable engage with the slotted upper surface 412 of the sealingassembly 402. In one embodiment, a plurality of alignment slots 422 areformed along one edge 424 of the support tray 404. The alignment slots422 are configured to couple with similar alignment slots formed alongthe slotted upper surface 412 of the sealing assembly 402. The alignmentslot adjacent a receptacle is aligned with the alignment slot on thesealing assembly 402 to ensure that the packaging material in thereceptacle is in alignment with the heat seal element 414. Preferably,the depth of each receptacle is such that a circular filter paper isreceived in the receptacle and a portion of the periphery of the filterpaper is above the receptacle. In one embodiment, the support tray 404has a width of about 70 mm, a length of about 210 mm and a thickness ofabout 18 mm. In another embodiment, the receptacles 420 in the supporttray 404 are circular and has a diameter of about 50 mm and a depth ofabout 1 to 15 mm. In one embodiment, the tray is preferably coated witha non-sticking material such as Teflon. This particular embodiment ofthe pod making system allows users to make pods containing differenttypes of ground coffee or beverage all in one sitting.

The personal pod making system of the preferred embodiments of thepresent invention provides a compact and lightweight custom pod makingsystem suitable for individual use. The system is portable and thusallows users to make custom beverage pods at home, in the office, oreven outdoors. Additionally, the preferred embodiments of the presentinvention also provide a novel pod packaging system which is designed tofacilitate alignment of the pod cover to the cup-shaped holder so as toreduce user handling and manipulation.

Although the foregoing description of the preferred embodiments of thepresent invention has shown, described and pointed out the fundamentalnovel features of the invention, it will be understood that variousomissions, substitutions, and changes in the form of the detail of theinvention as illustrated as well as the uses thereof, may be made bythose skilled in the art, without departing from the spirit of theinvention. Particularly, it will be appreciated that the preferredembodiments of the invention may manifest itself in other shapes andconfigurations as appropriate for the end use of the article madethereby.

1. A compact and lightweight manually operated pod making system,comprising: a base, said base having an upward facing receptacle betweenone mm and 15 mm deep and between 30 mm and 80 mm in diameter adapted toreceive at least a portion of a pod packaging material, wherein said podpackaging material has a lower portion and an upper portion; a sealingtool freely manually pivotably coupled to the base and without automatedoperation, said sealing tool having a heated sealing surface in the formof an annular ring adapted to contact the upper portion of the podpackaging material and apply heat thereto when the lower portion of thepod packaging material is positioned in the receptacle of the base; andwherein said system weighs less than 25 pounds and is capable of holdingnot more then a single pod packaging material including: not more thanone preformed coffee receptacle; and not more than one hinged coverportion for forming a single pod.
 2. The pod making system of claim 1,wherein said heat sealing surface is substantially circular and has adiameter of about 75 mm.
 3. The pod making system of claim 1, furthercomprising a receptacle size adjuster configured to reduce the diameterof the receptacle.
 4. The pod making system of claim 1, wherein thesystem is powered by battery.
 5. The pod making system of claim 1,wherein said base comprises a support tray having one or morereceptacles.
 6. The pod making system of claim 5, wherein the pod makingsystem has an alignment system adapted to facilitate of the morereceptacles on the support tray with the sealing tool.
 7. The pod makingsystem of claim 1, wherein the heat sealing surface can be heated to atemperature of between 130° F. to 250° F.
 8. The pod making system ofclaim 1, wherein the system is less than 15 pounds.
 9. The pod makingsystem of claim 1, wherein heating elements reside under the heatsealing surface of the sealing tool for providing heat to the heatsealing surface.
 10. The pod making system of claim 1, wherein: the baseincludes a base annular ring surrounding the receptacle with an upwardfacing surface; the heat sealing surface of the sealing tool comprisesan annular ring heated by heating elements in the sealing tool; and thesealing tool is pivotable to sandwich an outer pod annular ring of thepod packaging material between the heat sealing surface and the baseannular ring for sealing the pod packaging material.
 11. The pod makingsystem of claim 1, wherein: the base annular ring comprises one of amultiplicity of base annular rings selected for a particular size podpackaging material; and the heating element comprises a multiplicity ofheating elements with dimensions corresponding to the multiplicity ofbase annular rings.
 12. A method for making a pod, the methodcomprising: manually opening a sealing tool of a pod sealing system, thesealing tool hingedly attached to a base having a pod receptacle adaptedto receive a pod packaging material, wherein said pod packaging materialcomprises: a lower portion including a preformed coffee receptacle and apreformed rim extending radially out from the coffee receptacle; and ahinged cover portion hingedly connected to the lower portion; manuallypositioning the preformed coffee receptacle of the pod packagingmaterial in the pod receptacle of the base; manually positioning the rimof the lower portion of the pod packaging material on an annular ringsurrounding the pod receptacle of the base; manually placing groundcoffee into the coffee receptacle of the pod packaging material;manually folding the hinged cover portion of the pod packaging materialover the lower portion the pod packaging material; manually aligning thehinged cover portion to overlap the rim of the lower portion of the podpackaging material; heating a heating element in the sealing tool toheat a heat sealing surface of the sealing tool; manually pivoting thesealing tool to sandwich the hinged cover portion and the rim of the podpackaging material between the heat sealing surface and the base;heating a heat activated adhesive of the pod packaging material to sealthe pod packaging material; manually opening the sealing tool; andmanually removing the sealed pod packaging material from the pod sealingsystem, wherein the pod packaging material includes not more than onepreformed coffee receptacle and not more than one hinged cover portionfor forming a single pod.
 13. A compact and lightweight manuallyoperated pod making system, comprising: a base having an upward facingreceptacle between one mm and 15 mm deep and between 30 mm and 80 mm indiameter for receiving a pod packaging material; a base ring portionsurrounding the receptacle, the base ring portion having an upwardfacing surface; a sealing tool manually pivotably coupled to the baseand freely pivoting between open position to allow the pod packagingmaterial to be placed in the receptacle and a closed position tosandwich the pod packaging material between the base and the sealingtool; and a heat sealing surface of the sealing tool comprising andannular ring heated by heating elements inside the sealing tool, theheat sealing surface adapted to sandwich an outside edge of the podpackaging material between the heat sealing surface and the base ringportion and apply heat to the outside edge of the pod packagingmaterial, when the sealing tool is in the closed position, wherein thesystem is capable of holding not more then a single pod packagingmaterial including: not more than one preformed coffee receptacle; andnot more than one hinged cover portion for forming a single pod.
 14. Thepod making system of claim 13, wherein the base is not heated to anactivation temperature of a heat activated adhesive on the pod packagingmaterial thereby delaying activation of the adhesive until the heatsealing surface of the sealing tool is brought into contact with the podpackaging material.
 15. The method of claim 12, wherein positioning therim of the lower portion of the pod packaging material on an annularring surrounding the pod receptacle of the base comprises positioningthe rim of the lower portion of the pod packaging material on an annularring surrounding the pod receptacle of the base, the annular ring at atemperature below an activation temperature of a heat activated adhesiveon the pod packaging material thereby delaying activation of theadhesive until the heat sealing surface of the sealing tool is broughtinto contact with the pod packaging material.
 16. The method of claim12, wherein placing ground coffee into the coffee receptacle of the podpackaging material comprises placing ground coffee into the coffeereceptacle of the pod packaging material to a level about even with therim of the lower portion.
 17. The pod making system of claim 1, whereinthe base is not heated to an activation temperature of a heat activatedadhesive on the pod packaging material thereby delaying activation ofthe adhesive until the heat sealing surface of the sealing tool isbrought into contact with the pod packaging material.